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Past Extra Credits September 24 All issues

"A conference held Monday and Tuesday at Montana State University-Billings helped explain the No Child Left Behind rules and how they apply to Native Americans. The need is desperate. According to statistics provided Tuesday, 81 percent of Native American fourth-graders are not proficient in science; 83 percent were not proficient in reading and 86 percent were not proficient in math. By the 12th grade, 90 percent were not proficient in math and 91 percent were not proficient in science. Billings parent Don Ami, who has two children in School District 2 and two who have graduated, said he found these numbers appalling."

"Victoria Vasques, the director of the Office of Indian Education within the U.S. Department of Education, talked about how Native Americans can meet these goals. She said the department's new Teacher Corps and Administrator Corps will put better teachers and administrators in Indian schools. The first class has graduated, producing 850 new teachers and 200 new administrators. She [also] promoted the department's school readiness program, which aims to get children ages 3 and 4 better prepared for school."